Husband of Santa Fe day care operator charged with sex assault of 4-year-old

By Craig Hlavaty |
April 2, 2014
| Updated: April 2, 2014 6:23pm

A Santa Fe man has been charged with sexual assault stemming from allegations made by a 4-year-old, according to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office.

Thomas Joseph Perthuis, 76, has been arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child after the girl reported to a counselor and her mother that Perthuis had assaulted her, the sheriff's office said in a prepared statement.

Perthuis' wife was running an in-home day care center at their residence in the 4500 block of Tower, which is located in an unincorporated part of Santa Fe.

The incident was reported to officials Feb. 21, but deputies said that once Perthuis got wind of the allegations, he put himself in a local hospital. This prevented detectives from speaking with him until earlier this week.

Perthuis is currently in the Galveston County Jail with bond set at $100,000.